Four years after Vittar’s shattering solo, Brazil is at war with itself, and with progress: Just last year, a federal judge overruled an 18-year-old ban on conversion therapy, allowing psychologists to treat homosexuality as a disease, and this October, the country elected the far-right and openly homophobic Jair Bolsonaro as its new president. The country legalized same-sex marriage in 2013, and there had been a marked push for government recognition of LGBTQ rights: New crisis centers had been built, and new public health programs instigated for trans people.
When the singer, songwriter, and drag queen exploded onto the scene in 2014, a fully formed star already in short shorts and perfect contouring, nailing one of Whitney Houston’s hardest solos on local TV, Brazil was a dangerous place to identify as LGBTQ, but there was a sense that progress was just around the corner. In order to understand the particular importance of Pabllo Vittar, first you have to understand where she comes from.